.NET Framework and .NET SDKs

The .NET Framework is the easiest way to build apps on the Microsoft platform. You can download Visual Studio Express for free, and be coding in just a few minutes. You can also use the .NET SDKs and targeting packs to build apps for a given Microsoft platform, such as Microsoft Azure.

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The .NET Compiler Platform ("Roslyn") provides open-source C# and Visual Basic compilers with rich code analysis APIs. You can build code analysis tools with the same APIs that Microsoft is using to implement Visual Studio!

.NET Native compiles C# to native machine code that performs like C++. You will continue to benefit from the productivity and familiarity of the .NET Framework with the great performance of native code. Popular Windows Store apps start up to 60% faster and use 15-20% less memory when compiled with .NET Native.